Can closure



Dec. 4 w23. ll

- F. J. @BRIEN CAN CLOSUBE Filed Oct. 22, 1921 Mil/7656 M/M9414 Sg,

Patented Dec. 4, `1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE.

FRANK J'. OBRIEN, '0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO SOUTHERN CAN COM- PANY, F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND.

CAN CLOSURE.

Application led October 22, 1921. Serial No. 509,474.

ments in Can Closures; and l do hereby.

declare the following tol be a. full, clear, and

exact description of the same, reference be ing had to the accompanying drawings,

l@ forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to a seam for a can closure including a removable gasket, and also to the method of producing such seam. Y M At the present time the sanitary sea-m, which isl in almost universal use is open to one veryserious objection, namely that the cover or head of the can must be destroyed in order to gain access to the contents. A eat number of cans and containers utilizing gaskets have been proposed, and some few of these are so constructed that the gasket maybe removed without injuring either the container or the cap, permitting the use of the cap on the container after opening and'until the contents of the container have been entirely consumed or used. But the seams with which I am familiar and which give this desired result are expensive and diflicult to manufacture.

llt is the principal object of the present invention to provide a seam which may be formed-cheaply and expeditiously and which will so bind the gasket between the container and the closure that a perfect seal is formed and the cover united rmly Vto the body but at the same time by the removal of the gasket the cap or cover is freed without injuring in any way the container 'or the cover. y

A further object is to provide a closure which will not detract from the usefulness of the can as a container after the seal is broken for the removal of the cover and part or all of the contents.

In the drawings illustrating the seam and the method of making it:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a wall of the container, a portion of the closure and through 'the annular gasket, as assembled.I

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the chuck and the first roller in position and showing the container body flared after pressure has been applied vertically to the cover.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the same chuck, but illustrating a finishing roller which fully seams the cover.

Fig. 4 shows a section through the seam after the operation'is complete.

The container body is open at both ends and is cylindrical in formas is usual in the art. The cover 11 iS provided with an annular strengthening rib 12 bounded on the outside by a. fiat portion 111 which forms a Valley between the rib 12 and the rim 15, the latter having an inwardly and downwardly directed flange 16.` The rubber gasket 18is glued or otherwise secured to the flat under surface of the rim 15, preferably just out of Contact with the inturned edge of the Harige 16 so that when the cover is applied to the container the gasket will be spaced therefrom a slight distance as is indicated at 19.

In Fig. 2 the chuck 20 is shown in contact with the Valley 14 and with the nearly vertical portion 21. The roller 22 has vadvanced horizontally while the work is rheld by the chuck and the vertical pressure against the cover causes the edge of the cover to be partially crimped against the rubber gasket. The roller 23 is now brought into play and this roller fully seams the cover against the chuck 20 completing the seam shown in Fig. 4. The finished Seam has a relatively narrow rim 15', a pronounced bead 25 and a cylindrical liange 16 parallel to the major portion of the wall 26 of the container. The extreme upper portion of the container as, at 27 has been bent outwardly to an angle of about degrees and the portion 28 of the wall of the container just below this `out turned flange is flared outwardly to a slight extent, the advantage of this-structure being that when the gasket and cap are removed from the can there is no danger of cutting ones hands while reaching withinthe container. 10

The seam formed in accordance with the method herein outlined has been found in practice to be extremely useful. In orderto pull or blow the cap off by internal pressure it would be necessary to shear the rub- 1 ber washer in two places, one at-the edge of the out turned portion 27 and the other at the junction 29 between the portions 164 -and 25 of the cover.

Thus it will be seen that a double shoulder seam is formed which is perfectly safe against accidental removal of the cover but which lends itself to a convenient removal of the cover or cap when desired, this being accomplished by inserting a sharp instrument, such as the tine of a fork, between the cylindrical portion 16 and the container, rupturing the gasket and then pulling out the gasket by one of the broken ends. This pulling elongates the rubber and allows it to pass readily between the shoulder 29 and the container. Since the inside diameter of the cylindrical portion 16 of the cap is greater in diameter -than the greatest diameter of the flange 27. the cover 11- may be replaced gli the can after part of the contents has been removed thus providing a container having'no inturned flanges or obstructions.

The invention lends itself readily to that class of use where the body and one end, usually the removable cover end, are assembled, the can then filled and finally the other end, usually the permanent bottom, applied and secured by a seaming operation.

The flaring of the edge of the body of the container and the slight tapering ofthe wall of the cap which fits within the container forms a very tight joint, which is useful not only in aiding the permanent sealing of the container, but also permits of the use of the cap as a temporary cover when the gasket has been removed in opening the vessel.

The nearly vertical wall 21 of the cap.

fits snugly the wall 28 of the can and consequently when the cap is pushed firmly into the container a hermetic seal is formed which is generally known as a compression 'closure or a friction closure and is a very common closure at the present time for paint cans of smaller sizes. The use of a closure of this kind in combination with a permanent gasket closure is however a novel feature of the present invention.

What I claim is:

1. .The method of assembling a container with a cap and a gasket, which consists in placing the cap upon the container, and applying radial pressure to the periphery of the cap to distort the gasket and bead the cap and simultaneously flarin the container wall whereby a double shoudered seam is formed.

2. The method of assembling a container with a cap and a gasket, which consists in applyin radial pressure to the cap to pinch the gas et against the container, simultaneously flaring the wall of the container at its edge, and later applying radial pressure to compress the gasketfurther, and to form a bead upon said cap.

3.' The method of assembling a container with a cap and a gasket which consists in tainer, a compression closure cap and a gasket characterized by the provision of an outwardly flared rim at the mouth of' the container forming an external shoulder, a bead on said cap and a cylindrical portion of less diameter integral therewith and forming therewith a shoulder, said gasket being compressed between the wall of' the container, the bead and the cylindrical portion of the capand between said shoulders.

5. A seam formed by a substantially cylindrical wall of al metal container, a metal cap and a gasket characterized by the provision of an outwardly flared rim on the container forming an external shoulder, an internal wall on said cap contacting with the wall of the container to form a compression closure, an annular flange on said container without distortion of either when replaced by forcing the internal wall of the cap Within the wall of the container thus forming a substantially hermetic closure.

6. A Seam formed by a. cylindrical wall of a container, a compression closure Acap and a gasket characterized by the provision of a flared rim at the mouth of the container forming an external shoulder, a bead on said cap and a cylindrical portion of less diameter integral therewith and forming therewith a shoulder, said gasket being compressed between the aring wall of the container, the bead, and the cylindrical portion of the cap and between said shoulders.

7. ln combination, a substantially cylindrical sheet metal container, a removable and replaceable metal cap slidably and rictionally fitting in part within the container to form therewith a telescoping hermetic seal, a gasket surrounding the outer wall o the container and an annular eX- tension on'said cap bearing on the asket to deform it against the outer cylin rical wall of the container to form a second and independent hermetic seal.l

8. In combination, a metal container, a removable and replaceable metal cap therefor, means formed by integral contacting portions of said container and said ca for forming a slidin friction seal, sai cap contacting with t e container on the inner lll) lll

Wall only "of the container and additional means including a deformable land non-replaceable gasket for formin a second independent seal on the outside ofthe container which second seal must be destroyed upon first access to the contents of the container, said cap having an inwardly d1- rected, gasket engaging portion, the inner diameter of which is greater than the extreme outer diameter of the container and less than the outer diameter of the gasket.

9. The combination with a cylindrical metal can and a metal cap therefor, said members providin a seal of the compression closure type 1n Which the contacting surfaces are metal, the engagement is frictional and sliding and the seal hermetic, of a-second seal, said second Seal including a gasket surrounding the outer Wall of the container at the mouth thereof, compressed radially against the container wall by a portion of the cap, visible between the cap and container, and which must be destroyed v before access may be had to the contents for the Vlrst time.

l0. The combination with a substantially cylindrical met-a1 can and a lmetal cap therefor, said members providing a seal of the compression closure type in which the contacting surfaces are metal, the engagement frictional and sliding, and the seal hermetic, of a second seal, said second seal including a gasket surrounding the outer wall of the container near the mouth thereof, compressed against the. container wall by a portion of the cap, and which must be removed before access may be had to the contents for the first time.

FRANK J. OBRIEN. 

